Applying for a Commercial Activity Permit

• The application can only be submitted online using an internet connection. You cannot print and submit this form by post or email.
• You can save a partially completed form and submit it at a later date.
• If you have trouble with completing the form, contact us at parkaccess@des.qld.gov.au.
• Choose your authority type or choose the existing Authority to action. This will dynamically change the following form questions about your proposed authority.
• Provide the following:
  • applicant details, including an email address
  • details about the activities you plan to conduct, including attachments of supporting information such as maps, brochures or photographs if available.
• Ensure that you have appropriate insurance, where required, according to departmental policy prior to commencing the authorised activity. Read the Operational policy – Insurance and indemnity requirements for QPWS authorities (PDF, 200KB).
• Pay the relevant application and permit fees (if applicable). You can pay online using Visa or MasterCard.
• Your application will be submitted for assessment.

Attach a statement to include any additional information not already provided that will assist in assessing your application. Your application will be assessed against a range of matters required by the relevant legislation including those listed below.

For activities in protected areas (for example, national parks)

• The chief executive cannot grant an activity authority for a protected area that is inconsistent with the management principles for the area; or the interim or declared management intent, or management plan, for the area
• The effect the grant of the authority will have on the fair and equitable access to nature, having regard to, in particular, the ecologically sustainable use of protected areas or wildlife
• Any contribution the applicant proposes to make to the conservation of nature
• Any relevant Australian or international code, instrument, protocol or standard or any relevant intergovernmental agreement
• The precautionary principle, public health and safety and the public interest
• Whether the applicant is a suitable person to hold the authority
• Any recovery plan for wildlife to which the authority applies
• Any other matter stated in a management instrument as a matter the chief executive must have regard to when considering an application for the authority
• For an application for a relevant authority for an Aboriginal land protected area – the indigenous management agreement for the protected area
• For an application for a relevant authority for a protected area, other than an Aboriginal land protected area, in the Cape York Peninsula Region – any indigenous land use agreement for the area
• The impact the activities may have on the character and amenity of the area and adjacent areas
• The likely cumulative effect of the proposed use and other uses on the area
• The orderly and proper management of the area
• Anything else the chief executive considers appropriate to achieve the object of the Act.

For further information, refer to the Nature Conservation (Protected Areas Management) Regulation 2017.

For activities in State forests

• The chief executive must ensure each State forest is used and managed in the way the chief executive considers appropriate to achieve the purposes of the Forestry Act 1959 having regard to the benefits of permitting grazing in the area; the desirability of conservation of soil and the environment and of protection of water quality; and the possibility of applying the area to recreational purposes.
• No permit, license, lease, authority, agreement or contract may be granted if it is inconsistent with any existing permit, license, lease, other authority, or agreement or contract granted or made in respect of the same land.

For further information, refer to the Forestry Act 1959.

CAP applications can either be granted with conditions or refused based on legislative or policy reasons. For authorities issued with conditions, it is the authority holder's responsibility to have read the terms and conditions.

The Department is collecting the information on the application form to assess your application for an authority. Depending on the authority applied for, the information is required under our relevant authorising legislation:

• Nature Conservation Act 1992
• Recreation Areas Management Act 2006
• Forestry Act 1959
• Marine Parks Act 2004.

The department may have entered into an indigenous management agreement relating to this managed area(s) or the area may be subject to joint management. If so, the completed application form and relevant supporting documentation may be disclosed to the relevant indigenous organisation(s) (including to any relevant Native Title Body Corporates) for the purpose of the department consulting with or seeking the consent of that organisation.

Depending on the permit you are applying for, the department may also need to consult with other government agencies, councils and other relevant entities where applicable and necessary to appropriately assess your application. For example, under section 69T of the Forestry Act 1959, the department is required to consult with a plantation licensee and any plantation sub-licensee before granting a lease, license, permit, agreement, authority or contract. Your personal information will not be otherwise disclosed by the department to any other parties without your consent unless authorised or required by law, further information about privacy is available.

This will allow the department to fully assess the application and meet obligations to third parties set down in various agreements, for example with HQPlantations and First Nations People.